Festival
by kaibasgirlx
Summary: On a mission in the human world, Yachiru learns that family is what you make of it. 11th Division Bonding for the 4th of July.


"Okay everyone, please give a warm welcome to your new classmate, Kusajishi Yachiru."

The pink-haired menace glanced around the room full of children, all of whom were staring at her with curious eyes.

Of course, she hadn't been too excited when she'd first found out she had to go to school. After Yamamoto had assigned them a scouting mission in the human world, she'd been very excited. Ken-chan had agreed that she could stay home and help him, but Yumichika had insisted that she go to school, saying it would be much too suspicious if a perfectly healthy girl her age were at home.

"_Besides,_" he'd said, as he packed her a lunch in her knapsack. _"She'll have fun playing with kids her own age, and they'll teach her skills like reading and writing, which are very important for someone like her to know."_

Yachiru had frowned, and pouted, and protested, saying that she _wouldn't_ have fun, because the only person she wanted to play with was Ken-chan, and who cared about stupid things like reading and writing anyways? That sort of stuff was for sissies. She'd be better off watching Kenpachi fighting, then strain over unfamiliar characters, learning how to read them.

But Kenpachi had grunted his agreement, saying that anyway she'd be bored being in the house all day, and that it might be worthwhile for her to learn some new things. Left without much of a choice, Yachiru had set off with Yumichika and Ikkaku that morning, as they dropped her off at the pre-school, which wasn't too far from the high school they were attending as part of the façade. Kenpachi would be busy with the mission Yamamoto had entrusted to him, and maybe get in a hollow killing or two should the unfortunate souls cross paths with him. That had given Yachiru all the more reason to frown, considering that she'd so much rather cheer him on in battle than sit in some smelly old classroom listening to the teacher talk.

"Would you like to tell us some things about yourself, or your family?" The teacher continued pleasantly, unaware of the girl's thoughts.

"Sure!" Yachiru perked up. If she couldn't get to _watch_ Ken-chan, and least she'd let everyone know how cool he was. "I live in the Eleventh Division with Ken-chan! He's the coolest person ever! He likes to fight a lot, and he always wins! Before he became a captain, he used to fight all the time, and that's how he found me. Since then, we've always been together, and any person who's stupid enough to pick a fight always gets their butt kicked. His real name is Kenpachi, and it means that no matter how many times you cut him, he'll never fall! Ken-chan's the coolest, strongest, awesomest person ever!"

Yachiru beamed happily as she finished. It was only when she heard a cough from behind her that she realized something was wrong. She turned to see the teacher looking at her rather awkwardly, along with the rest of the class.

"Oh, my, well Yachiru, you certainly seem to have quite the overactive imagination! While I'm sure the rest of us would love to hear more about this…Ken-chan of yours, we'll have to save our questions for recess. Why don't you take a seat next to Hiro-kun in the meantime? I'm going to hand out a paper for everyone to color."

Yachiru nodded, as she made her way through the tables and chairs in the colorful room. All eyes were still on her, and it was starting to make her feel uneasy, as though something was wrong with her.

"Freak." One of the boys whispered as she passed him.

She stopped and turned around, but he quickly pretended to be listening to what the teacher was saying.

"Something wrong, Yachiru-chan?" The teacher asked, noticing her pause.

"He just called me a freak," Yachiru responded, as the boy shot her a glare.

"Is this true, Maru-kun?" The teacher asked, looking at the boy sternly.

"W-W-Well, it's true! She just made up everything she said!"

Yachiru felt the heat rise in her cheeks, as the other kids started whispering.

"It is so true! I live with Ken-chan, and Baldy, and Feather-face, in the Eleventh Division!"

"Baldy and Feather-face?" The boy sneered. "Who are they, your imaginary friends?"

"No!" Yachiru responded hotly. "Baldy is my nickname for Ikkaku, because he's bald! And Feather-face is my nickname for Yumichika, because he wears these weird feathers on his face!"

The boy scoffed. "You're just making things up for attention, I bet. That's what my mom always says. There's probably no such thing as Ken-chan, and you just made him up."

Yachiru lost all pretenses and punched the boy in the eye.

"Oww!" Maru howled, clutching his face. "My eye! My eye! You brat!"

"Don't ever say such things about Ken-chan," the pink-haired girl growled.

"Kusajishi Yachiru, that is enough!" The teacher cried, coming over and picking her up by the back of her collar. "You apologize to Maru-kun this instant!"

"No way!" Yachiru shouted, kicking her legs as she tried to get free. "He said that Ken-chan doesn't exist! That's unforgivable!"

"Yachiru, if you do not apologize right now, you're going to have to sit in the corner for the rest of the day, and you will not be allowed to participate in any of the planned activities," the teacher said sternly.

"I don't care! He made fun of Ken-chan!"

"That is no excuse! In this classroom, we do not hit! Now I think I'm going to have to have a talk with your parents when they come to pick you up today."

Yachiru stuck her tongue out. "I don't care! Ken-chan will say I did the right thing, just watch!"

The teacher put her down with an arched brow, as she pointed her towards a desk situated in the far corner of the classroom. Then she turned to the injured boy, asking another classmate to escort him to the office to get a pack of ice.

Yachiru spent the rest of the day in that corner. She ate her lunch quietly, and at recess wasn't allowed to play in the playground. She contemplated apologizing, just so she could join in on what everyone else was doing, but when Maru came back with an icepack being held against a blackened eye, she couldn't help but smirk. Serves the jerk right for calling her a freak and trying to say she was making things up.

However, by the time the day was over, she was starting to regret her rash decision. The entire class seemed to be having so much fun, and truthfully, she also wanted to color with special markers, play charades, and make different shapes and objects with a delightful-looking thing called play-dough.

She waited outside with all the other kids, as their parents came to pick them up one by one. When Maru's mother came, she was notably shocked at what happened to his face, and after exchanging a few words with the teacher, threw Yachiru a filthy glare that caused the girl to shrink a little bit against the bench she was sitting on.

"What a savage child," she said contemptuously, as she took a hold of her son's hand. "She was probably raised by wolves, to act so uncivilized like that! Come, Maru, I have a special paste at home that should take away the puffiness."

Yachiru stared at the ground as they left. Even though she wasn't sure what 'savage' meant, or what Maru's mother had been talking about when she said 'raised by wolves', she figured it wasn't something nice at all, and meant to insult her. She was really beginning to regret her rash decision to hit the boy.

When all the kids had left, and it was just her, the teacher came over.

"Well, Yachiru, how do you feel?"

The girl didn't respond.

"Are you sorry for hitting Maru-kun?"

Slowly, Yachiru nodded, thinking how sorry she was that she didn't hit him harder.

"Okay," the teacher said softly. "You can apologize to him tomorrow. Now, is someone supposed to come pick you up?"

Yachiru shrugged, swinging her legs. "I think Baldy or Feather-face are supposed to come."

"Okay. I would have liked to speak to one of them, but here. Make sure your parents read and sign this note, and bring it back with you tomorrow. Will you be alright waiting here by yourself?"

Yachiru took the folded piece of paper, nodding. The teacher went to gather up her things, and left. She sighed as she waited in the empty playground. So much for her first day of school.

About 10 minutes later, she spotted a familiar profile jogging up the street.

"Feather-face!" She exclaimed crossly. "You're late!"

"Sorry, Yachiru," Yumichika replied as he reached her. "We got dismissed late today."

Yachiru glared at him. "Why didn't Ken-chan come get me?" She demanded.

"Because Zaraki-taicho is busy with the mission Yamamoto assigned him, so he asked me to come get you instead."

The pink-haired girl stepped on his foot.

"Ow! Yachiru, what was that for?!"

"I'm never going back to school again! Ever!"

Yumichika stopped massaging his appendage and blinked. "How come? Didn't you have a good first day?"

"No!" She shouted, before thrusting the note at him. "Here, the teacher said to give this to you."

The 5th seat read the note curiously. There was a pause.

"You punched a boy in the eye because he called you a freak?" He asked, only mildly surprised.

"And he also said Ken-chan isn't real! He said I was just making him up for attention!" Yachiru exclaimed angrily.

"I see. Well, while I can certainly understand your motives, as you saw today, it's not the accepted thing to do when someone insults you."

"Shut up! I hate school, and I'm never going back!"

"I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day," Yumichika offered.

"No! All those kids think I made Ken-chan up! They don't believe me that he's real!"

"I have an idea," Yumichika said brightly. "Why don't you draw a picture of Zaraki-taicho, and show it to everyone? That way they'll know for sure that you're not making him up."

Yachiru paused for a minute as she thought about this. "Maybe."

"Wonderful!" Yumichika clapped his hands happily. "Now come on, how about we stop by the ice cream store on the way back?"

This cheered up the girl instantly. "Okay!"

The next day found Yachiru back in the classroom, feeling slightly nervous. When she'd given Ken-chan the note the night before, he'd laughed the whole thing off, calling the boy a sissy and the teacher an idiot. This made the pink-haired girl feel much better. After all, if Ken-chan said the teacher was an idiot, then that pretty much said it all. He signed the note 'just to shut the teacher up', patted her head, and told her tomorrow to give any boy who said he wasn't real a piece of her mind.

Of course, as he dropped her off, Yumichika surreptitiously suggested that she first try his idea out, before going around hitting people.

Before class began, the teacher called her aside and asked her for the note. Then she asked her to apologize to Maru. Yachiru was pleased to see that her classmate's eye was still swollen and black, and she apologized, though more because she wanted to have fun and play, then out of real contriteness.

The day was turning out to be much better than the one before, as the pink-haired girl decided to take the 5th seat's advice, and drew a picture of Kenpachi. She also added in Ikkaku and Yumichika, just so they would know she wasn't lying about them either.

When the teacher asked who wanted to share their drawings with the class, hers was the first up in the air, and was graciously acquiesced.

"I drew a picture of my family," Yachiru said happily, as she held up the picture for all to see. "This is Ken-chan-" she pointed to a huge blob with spikes for hair, an eye-patch, and a menacing grin. In what was supposed to be his hand was held a sword. "-this is Ikkaku-" she pointed to a smaller blob than the first one, who was colored completely peach, with a huge sword "-and this is Yumichika." She pointed to a last blob, which was very small, with lines for purple hair, and feathers on his eye, and a small sword.

There was an awkward silence, before one of the kids broke it.

"Where's your mom?"

Yachiru looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you have a mom?" A girl with pigtails asked.

Yachiru thought for a minute. "I…guess not."

"How could you not have a mom?" A boy gaped at her. "I mean, who makes you dinner, and takes you places, and gives you hugs and kisses?"

The pink-haired girl turned the picture around to look at it. Well, Yumichika made her sandwiches, and Ken-chan liked to take her almost everywhere with him, but hugs and kisses? She suddenly felt inferior, like she was missing something important, and that something important was reflected in her drawing.

"No one really…" she said softly, before the teacher came to her rescue and called the next student up.

Yachiru took her seat, staring at her drawing pensively. Well, who needed a mother anyway? She thought to herself. She had Ken-chan, and that's all that mattered. She didn't need anyone to give her hugs and kisses, that sort of stuff was for sissies.

At recess, she went out with all the other kids to play. A group of kids, let primarily by Maru, went over to her.

"So you don't have a mom?" He sneered at her, as he stood out of striking range. "That explains why you hit me yesterday; you don't have anyone to teach you manners!"

"Come here and say that!" Yachiru growled. She didn't really want to get into trouble, but she would hit him if he asked for it.

"My mom was right, you _are_ a savage! And your Ken-chan looks like a monster! Even if he is real, I would never want someone like that around me!"

Before Yachiru could respond, the teacher came over, and the group of bullies dispersed.

A game of ball started, and she wanted to join in, but no one wanted her on their team. Dejected, the pink-haired girl went to sit down on the bench, waiting until the day was over.

"Now class," the teacher said, before she dismissed them for the day. "I just want to remind you about the fireworks tonight! I hope you're all coming, it would be quite nice to see you there!"

"I bet Yachiru will be there, but she'll be by herself, or with her 'Ken-chan'," A boy snickered, which caused some kids to burst out laughing.

"Yeah, she doesn't even have a mom, just some imaginary friends," another kid added, sniggering. "I bet she doesn't even know why we're celebrating, cause no one bothered to explain it to her!"

"Class!" The teacher exclaimed, glaring at the two perpetrators, but before she could say anything else, parents began arriving to pick up their children.

Yachiru watched as different family members came to pick up her classmates and take them home. She took particular interest in the mothers, who were all really pretty, and all dressed up. She waited on the bench, swinging her legs idly until the last child left and she was the only one once more.

"Ah, so they're late again?" The teacher asked, eyeing the pink-haired girl with something like pity. "Will your family be going to the fireworks tonight?"

Yachiru shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Well, I hope to see you there. Maybe I'll get to meet your 'Ken-chan'."

The pink-haired girl was decidedly morose by the time Ikkaku came to pick her up.

"Oi, Yachiru, what's with that crappy face?"

The vice-captain slid off the bench. "Everyone thinks I'm making up stories about you, and Feather-face, and Ken-chan. Today all the kids were making fun of me because I told them I don't have a mother."

Ikkaku scratched his head. "Did you tell the kids to go to hell?"

"No, and anyway, the teacher would have probably gotten mad at me for saying that."

"Oh."

Yachiru walked quietly ahead of him, before suddenly turning around and marching back over. "Is…Is it…really important to have a mother?" She asked him plaintively, staring straight up at him.

Ikkaku was completely taken aback. "Um…ah…" he stuttered, not sure exactly how to answer the question. He wasn't really good with these types of things; probably Yumichika would be better suited to ask. "Er, well, look Yachiru, some people've got moms an' dads, some people've got none. If you ask me, it ain't make no difference. Ya got Zaraki-taicho, an' Yumichika an' me. So ya ain't got no one who dresses up pretty an' puts on makeup, but hell, I bet Yumichika could pretend to be your mom, cause he sure as hell spends as much time on his looks as a girl."

This cheered up the pink-haired girl somewhat. "There's going to be fireworks tonight. Can we go?"

"Well, we'll have to ask Zaraki-taicho, but I bet he won't say no," Ikkaku grinned, glad the little hellion seemed to be regaining her spark.

When they got back, Kenpachi didn't see any reason not to go. So that evening, the four of them set out to the lake, where most of the town was gathered, looking around in wonderment. There were people selling hotdogs and hot pretzels, cotton candy and ice cream, neon necklaces and bracelets, and all sorts of other attractions.

Yachiru laughed with delight when Yumichika shook Ikkaku's soda without his realizing it, and the entire thing erupted in his face. She laughed harder when Ikkaku started chasing him, threatening to spill the remaining soda in his hair.

"Hey Ken-chan, I want one of those necklaces," Yachiru said, pointing to a vendor who was selling the neon glow necklaces.

Kenpachi grunted, and they went over to buy one.

"What color do ya want, kiddo?" The vendor asked her.

"Pink!" Yachiru said excitedly, as the man handed her one, and she put it around her neck. She turned around to follow Ken-chan when she bumped into something solid.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" She growled, before she saw who she had knocked into.

Maru's lips twisted into a smirk. "So you're here after all, Yachiru. Is your 'Ken-chan' here also?" He asked, clearly mocking her.

"Actually, he is," a voice rumbled behind him.

The boy looked up to see a monstrous man with an eye-patch and spiky black hair staring down at him.

"Something the matter?"

Maru seemed to have lost his voice as he just stared in terror at the being before him. After a moment, he seemed to have regained movement in his legs, as he turned tail and began to run.

Yachiru smiled in satisfaction.

"Who was that?" Kenpachi grunted.

"That was the kid I gave a black eye to," she responded happily.

A few minutes later they caught up with Ikkaku and Yumichika, the latter who had managed to successfully wrestle the soda away from his teammate and make sure that it wouldn't go anywhere near his precious locks.

"So when are the fireworks startin'?" Ikkaku asked sourly.

"Probably in a few minutes," Yumichika tittered, looking the exact opposite of his companion. "I must say, I'm quite excited to see fireworks in the human world. I wonder if they match up to the ones we have in Soul Society."

"Are you Feather-face?"

Yumichika looked down to see a girl with pigtails staring up at him. A vein went off in his forehead. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I know who this 'Feather-face' is that you speak of."

But the girl didn't stop gaping in awe at, quite possibly, the most beautiful boy she'd ever laid eyes on. A blush rose to her cheeks, as she realized he'd just spoken to her, and more children gathered around them.

"Is that a real sword?" One of the boys asked Ikkaku, staring at what was sticking out of the side of his belt.

"Huh? Oh, well, it's not a real one, but I do have a real one at home," Ikkaku grinned, as he took it out, garnering more attention from the children.

"Yachiru," a girl pulled on the sleeve of her kimono. "Is that your Ken-chan?"

Yachiru grinned. "Yep! That's Ken-chan!"

She watched as all her classmates seemed to gather around them.

"Are you a ninja?!" One of the kids asked Ikkaku.

"No way! Look at Yachiru's Ken-chan, he has an eye-patch. He's a pirate!"

Ikkaku laughed, as the children began arguing over who was right.

"Is that a real scar?" A girl asked Kenpachi, pointing to his left eye.

"Yep. I got that one way back after gettin' into a brawl with some drunken idiot," Zaraki grinned, something that would have made Ichigo hide under his bed if he saw it. The kids could only stare in awe.

"Do you have a lot of scars?"

Zaraki nodded, eyeing the girl who was bold enough to ask the question.

"Can we see?"

Zaraki shrugged. "Sure, why not?" And he opened his kimono to show them the many badges of victory he kept on his chest.

"Your hair is so pretty!" A girl exclaimed at Yumichika, who took their compliments graciously.

"Yes, I do take quite good care of it."

"And it's so shiny!" A different girl gushed.

"Those feathers are really cool!"

"Could you show us how you put them on?"

The kids swarmed all around them, staring, admiring, and realizing that Yachiru hadn't been lying at all. Their questions could have probably continued all night, if it weren't for the explosions signaling the start of the fireworks.

"You children better hurry back to your parents," Yumichika said. "Or they'll be worried where you ran off to."

It didn't take much convincing, as they all took off. Yachiru was beaming with pride, as all her classmates told her how cool her family was before leaving.

"Hey, Yachiru," Maru said, hurrying back to her. "Um, sorry for calling you a liar. Your Ken-chan is really cool! Maybe tomorrow you can play ball with us at recess?"

"Okay!" She chirped.

The boy ran off after that, as more explosions resonated in the sky.

Kenpachi lifted Yachiru and placed her on his shoulder, as they, all four of them, watched the fire dance across the sky.

When it was over, they walked back towards the place they were staying at. The night was slightly humid with all the people crowded around, and fireflies were lending their brightness to the artificial lights that lined the sidewalk.

Yachiru settled herself comfortably against Ken-chan, reveling in the night's events.

So, maybe she didn't have a mother, but she had Yumichika, who was probably like a mother, or maybe an older sister, except that he didn't wear makeup or put on pretty kimonos. And she had Ikkaku, who was like that big brother you pull pranks on, and still let you get away with it, or like that really cool uncle who only comes to visit once in a while, and does really cool stuff with you. And then, she had Ken-chan. He was like a father, but not really. He was her best friend, but even more than that. He was the person she admired, the one man she unabashedly worshipped. He was everything to her, he made up her whole entire world and without him, she didn't know where she'd be right now.

And if those three were what made up her family, then she certainly had nothing to complain about. She was the luckiest girl in the world.

"I don't get it, what were we celebrating tonight with the fireworks?" Kenpachi asked, as she snuggled against his back, slowly drifting off to sleep.

"It's a celebration for the Declaration of Independence which Americans signed as a statement to proclaim their freedom from British rule."

"Come again?"

Yumichika sighed, realizing he would have to put it in words his captain could understand.

"Pretty much after a long war filled with much blood, gore, and carnage, the Americans won, and are celebrating their victory over the losers."

"Oh, why didn't you say so in the first place? I gotta say these Yankees sure know what to be happy about!"

Yumichika rolled his eyes, Ikkaku laughed, and Yachiru couldn't have agreed more.

The End.

* * *

AN:

_Um…wow, when I thought this up, I really did not plan on it being so long. But once I started writing, it just didn't want to stop! I'm…really sorry about that. But, um, if you managed to get this far, won't you please leave a review?_

_Anyway, just some 11__th__ Division bonding that I've been meaning to write. The idea came to me last night when I was thinking about Independence Day, and everything that comes along with it._

_I know there are some inconsistencies with the story in terms of where they are and what they're celebrating, but I took the artistic liberty (get it? Haha, I know, corny…) of placing them in America. In NY. Where…there's a good chance you'll find people dressed in Kimono's…well, just go along with it._

_I hope you all had a great 4__th__ of July! I don't know if they still have them anymore, but those neon glow necklaces that Yachiru got was one of my highlights as a kid, they used to sell them, but I haven't really seen any more of them lately. Ah well._

_Téa_


End file.
